DEC. 13, 2004

BELIEFS & PRACTICES
Religion and culture: What's ahead for 2005

2004 brought a heightened role for religion in the public sphere, from government policy and foreign conflicts to schools and neighborhoods. "Morals and values" stole the spotlight. Some trends were welcomed by all, some frightened or disturbed people, and sometimes people reacted in opposite ways to the same events, whether it was national security efforts, legislation and court rulings on gay marriage, or movies such as The Passion of the Christ. This week ReligionLink explores different interpretations of religion's impact in the culture.

2005: Apocalypse now?

Five years ago, many people were fixated on the possibility of the Apocalypse, believing that a "cosmic transformation" - religious or otherwise - was imminent. When Y2K did not usher in a New Age, the Second Coming, or a big computer mess, much of the millennial fever subsided. Or did it merely shift? Now scholars say apocalypticism is alive and well but has shifted its focus on the world and U.S. stage.

Internationally, Christian scenarios of Rapture and avenging horsemen have been moved aside by visions of Islamic jihads and a world utopia under Muslim law. Scholars say the war on terror can be better understood - and more easily won - by looking at apocalyptic thought among al Qaeda, Hamas and the insurgent movement in Iraq.

At the same time, apocalyptic fascination in the United States has branched out instead of dissipating, scholars say. They point to the continued popularity of the "Left Behind" series of books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the increased use of the Internet to interpret world events to fit end-times prophecy, the "gloom and doom" scenarios politicians present to spur legislative action, and heightened concern that environmental crisis may be welcomed as a sign of end-times prophecy.

Why it Matters
Underestimation of millennialist and apocalyptic groups led to the tragedies at Waco, Texas; Ruby Ridge, Idaho; and Jonestown, Guyana. Scholars say it is crucial to understand the apocalyptic and millennialist underpinnings of different groups and their agendas, from religious terrorists to those who welcome signs of an Apocalypse.

See also Is the "Fourth Great Awakening" afoot?

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• Richard Landes is the director of the Center for Millennial Studies at Boston University. He names global jihad as the apocalyptic movement most threatening to world peace. He cites the year 2000, the date of the second Palestinian uprising, as a major turning point in Muslim apocalyptic thought because it was when the idea of the martyr - personified by Mohammed Al Dura, a 12-year-old who was shot during an Israeli-Palestinian exchange of gunfire - became the central icon of the struggle. Contact 617-353-2558, rlandes@bu.edu.
• Michael Barkun is a professor of political science at Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y. He is the author of A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America (University of California Press, 2003). He is researching the relationship between terrorist goals and millennial beliefs, including weapons of mass destruction. Contact 315-443-9339, mbarkun@maxwell.syr.edu.
• Bruce David Forbes is a professor of religious studies at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. He is co-editor of Rapture, Revelation and the End Times: Exploring the 'Left Behind' Series (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004). Contact 712-274-5185, forbes@morningside.edu.
• Mark Bailey is the president of Dallas Theological Seminary and a noted expert on eschatological issues. He is the author of Countdown to Armageddon (Harvest House, 1999) and The Road to Armageddon (Word, 1999). Contact through Mark Yarbrough, 214-874-4460, myarbrough@dts.edu.
• Bernard McGinn is a professor emeritus of historical theology and the history of Christianity at the University of Chicago's divinity school. He edited the second volume of The Encyclopedia of Apocalypticism (Continuum, 1998), which examined apocalyptic thought in Western culture. Contact bmcginn@midway.uchicago.edu.
• Robert Glenn Howard is an assistant professor of communications arts at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has spoken about end-times discourse after Sept. 11. He is at work on a book about fundamentalist Christianity and its evolution on the Internet. He is particularly interested in "the amazing elasticity" fundamentalist Christians show in adapting end-times narratives to current events, including 9/11. Contact 608-262-2605, rgh@rghoward.com.
• John R. Hall is a professor of history and director of the Center for History, Society and Culture at the University of California, Davis. He is author and co-author of a number of books on apocalyptic groups, including Apocalypse Observed: Religious Movements and Violence in North America, Europe and Japan (Routledge, 2000). He is currently writing about how understanding al Qaeda as an apocalyptic group can aid Western response to its challenge. Contact 530-752-7035, jrhall@ucdavis.edu.
• Michael Christensen is a professor of spirituality at Drew University in Madison, N.J., and has lectured about apocalyptic interpretations of Sept. 11 as part of a course on apocalyptic eschatology. His web site contains a link to his lecture. He is studying the popularity of the "Left Behind" series and The Da Vinci Code for what their popularity says about end-times fascination. Contact 973-408-3738, mchriste@drew.edu.
• Warren A. Gage is a professor of Old Testament at the Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He is co-director of the seminary's John-Revelation Project, an attempt to craft a Reformed church response to evangelical ideas of the end times. Contact 954-334-5082, wgage@knoxseminary.org.
• Osman bin Bakar holds the Malaysia Chair of Islam in Southeast Asia at Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in Washington, D.C. He can discuss the Muslim conception of the end of the world. Contact 202-687-0293, obb@georgetown.edu.
• Joan Bokaer is director of Theocracy Watch, a project of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy at Cornell University. It raises awareness about the role of the "Religious Right" in the U.S. government, particularly how legislators' religious beliefs affect public policy. Contact joan@theocracywatch.org.

Background

• Definitions: Discussion about the end of the world involves many words with different meanings to different people. "Apocalypse" has a very specific meaning to an evangelical Christian but may have a broader meaning to a secular humanist. For key words in "end-times" scenarios, visit the apocalyptic glossary maintained by the Center for Millennial Studies at Boston University.
• Visit the PBS web site for a 2000 Frontline documentary about the history of apocalyptic movements.
• A Brief History of the Apocalypse, a web site run by Chris Nelson, offers a timeline of doomsday predictions.
• Apocalypse Soon is an independently run Christian web site that links political, scientific and technological developments to end-times prophecy.
• Read "A Comet's Tale: On the Science of Apocalypse," an article by Tom Bissell in the February 2003 issue of Harper's Magazine.
• Read papers on Islam and the apocalypse by Islamic scholar David Cook and on apocalyptic Islam and Osama bin Laden by David Landes of the Center for Millennial Studies.
• Read a Nov. 13, 2004, Dallas Morning News story posted by the Magic Valley, Idaho, Times-News about Tyndale House Publishers' plans to publish a series of books whose apocalyptic theology is opposed to the "Left Behind" books Tyndale also publishes.
• Beliefnet.com published a package on apocalyptic thought that includes stories, columns and web links from different religions and theological viewpoints.
• Read a Dec. 1, 2004, speech by Bill Moyers about his concern that adherents of apocalyptic thought may welcome environmental destruction as a sign that prophecies are coming true. It's posted by TruthOut.org.
• Read an Oct. 27, 2004, story by Glenn Scherer in Grist magazine suggesting that end-times beliefs of conservative Christian members of Congress are influencing legislative decisions that threaten the environment.
• A 2002 Time/CNN poll found that 59 percent of respondents say they believe the events in Revelation are going to come true, and nearly one-quarter think the Bible predicted the Sept. 11 attack. Poll results are included in a package of stories about the Bible and the Apocalypse.
• The web site RaptureReady.com offers a Rapture Index that measures physical signs and events that indicate the Rapture may be near. Its all-time high was in 2001 at 182; it currently stands at 156.